This invention relates generally to wrist support devices, and specifically to wrist support devices for athletes which prevent the wrist from "breaking" and insure proper follow through.
There are numerous sports in which the athlete's performance is dependent upon his ability to prevent his wrist from "breaking", prevent his hand from twisting, and guarantee a consistently thorough follow through. For example, the most successful bowlers are those who can consistently control the positional relationship between their hand and forearm during delivery of the ball. Similar problems are encountered by golfers who must complete their golf swing without breaking their wrist while maintaining a complete follow through. The instant invention is directed to a wrist support device which is an aid to individual athletes endeavoring to perform well in the above-described, and similar, sports.
The known prior art devices are concerned primarily with the prevention of the "breaking" of the athletes wrist in a direction away from the palm of the hand. Many of these prior art devices engage the forearm and hand of the athlete with a brace extending across the top of the wrist. One such shows a device for supporting a bowlers wrist which includes an elongated strip of semi-rigid material strapped about both the bowlers hand and wrist on opposite sides of the wrist joint. The rest position of the hand while being engaged by the device is substantially in alignment with the forearm. The hand of the athlete is engaged by a strap which passes around the hand and across the palm. Another similar device includes a wrist band, finger support and a flat elastic member fixedly attached to the wrist support member and the finger support. The objective is to automatically lift the bowlers hand to increase the lift and spin on the bowling ball.
Each of the two devices described immediately above have inherent shortcomings which make them either impractical or unsatisfactory. Any device of this nature which has elements which extend across the palm of the hand or the fingers interfere with a comfortable and controlling grip on a bowling ball. Also, each of these devices has a tendency to move the hand into alignment with the wrist-a biasing which does not encourage the bowler to maintain or develop a proper follow through.
Another prior art device used to guide a bowler's hand affixes to the forearm of the user and includes a resilient bar or plate which extends across the wrist to engage a small portion of the back of the hand. The pressure with which the bar engages the back of the hand is adjustable to allow for personal comfort. While this device does not have elements which interfere with the grip on the ball, it does not prevent the hand from twisting, nor does it encourage maintenance or development of a successful follow through.
There are numerous other devices in this art. However, the majority of these devices merely maintain the wrist in a locked position, and are thus subject to the shortcomings of the previously described prior art.